Arm for knitting-machines



E. H. STINES AND w. c. POTTER.

ARM FOR KNITTING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19, I919.

1,399,278. Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

a e-21M ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD H. STINES AN D WILBUR O. POTTER, OF NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY.

ARM FOR KNITTING-IIACHINES.

Specification of Letters Iatent. Patented Dec. 6, 1921- Applicationfiled February lfii, 1919. Serial No. 277,977.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, Enwann H. SrINns and VILBUR C. Porrnn, citizens ofthe United States, residing in New Brunswick, in the coun y of Middles xand State New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Arms for Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a speciication.

lVe have invented an improvement in arms for knitting machines;particularly armsto be mounted on that part of a knitting machine whichcarries the devices provided to actuate the mechanism for stopping themotion of the machine in case a mishap occurs to the yarn knitted bysame.

Such arms bear certain elements engaged by the yarn and maintained ingiven positions; and upon the yarn becoming broken, knotted or tangled,those elements are moved and the aforesaid actuating devices therebyreleased; permitting the stopping mechanism to take immediate efiect.Our invention resides in such an arm designed with a view to simplifyits construction, cheapen its manufacture, and facilitate its locationin operative position and its replacement when damaged.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will appear in thefollowing description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, which show the best form of our invention now known to us.This disclosure, however, is explanatory only, and we may resort tochanges in what is actually shown, within the scope and spirit of ourinvention, to the full extent of the general meanings'of the terms inwhich the claims appended hereto are expressed.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an arm for a knitting machine accordingto our invention; with the elements appurtenant thereto mounted upon it;the arm being attached to said machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan view and Fig. 8 an end view of the arm illustrated inFig. 1.

The same numerals identify the same parts throughout.

In the particular description of our invention we use the numeral 1 toindicate our improved arm in its entirety; and we show this arm eflixedto a casing 2, which in practice will be the upper part of a stop-motionhead for a lmitting machine, be mounted on the upper end of the centralstem or shaft thereof. This casing will have an exterior peripheralflange 3, and is usually cylindrical in shape. Hence one end 4 of thearm 1 will be slightly concave to fit snugly against the outside of'thecasing 2, beneath the flange 3; and it will be furnished with a pair ofprojections 55', struck up to engage the edge of the flange 3.. The armwill have a threaded opening adjacent the concave end 4, and the flange3'will have a similar opening; whereby a fastening member, such as ascrew or bolt 6, may hold the arm and flange together. WVhen the screwis made tight the projections 5 will abut the edge of the flange, andthe concave end 4 will make contact over its entire face with theoutside of the casing 2, and the arm will therefore be firmly retainedin place. WVe may also round the upper edge of the end 4, as shown inFig. 1, to enable it to fit the fillet between the casing 2 and thelower face of the flange 3. Hence the end 4 and the adjacent portion ofthe top of the arm may have actual contact with the casing 2 and bottomof the flange at every point, and when the screw 6 is turned up, the end4 of the arm 1 and the projections 5 will bind against the flange andthe casing, and a very strong, rigid, and efficient connection betweenthe casing and the arm will be secured.

The arm 1 is preferably made in one piece by stamping; and-its outerend, opposite the end 4, will be bent laterally at 7 that is, downwardwith reference to the operative position, of said arm; thenlongitudinally and away from the end 4, as at 8; then transversely (orupward) at 9, extending entirely across the body of the arm; and thenreversely, toward the end 4, at 10. The portions 8 and 10 have threadedopenings to receive meansfor attaching to the arm 1, a

guide 11; and the arm 1 will have a projection 12, struck downwardtherefrom, adjacent to the portion 7, and perforated and threaded toreceive a pivot pin or journal to carry a finger or lever 13, with aforked end designed to cooperate with the guide 11.

In proximity to the projection 12 is another down turned projection 14,to serve as a bearing for a rod or spindle 15, which projects into thecasing 2. Between the bearing 14 and the outer end of the arm 1, the endof the spindle '15 will be bent laterally as at 16, to engage one end ofthe lever 13; and the portion 7 will be shaped to provide a. projection17 against which the arm 16 will act as a stop forthe lever 13, whenrequired.

As stated, the arm 1 with the above-mew tioned projections 5, 12, 1 1and 17 will be produced by stamping, and formed by bending; and itsfaces and edges may be rounded, if desired, to give a finishedappearance. On its lower face it willalso have a couple of flats 18,with threaded holes for screws to secure below the arm in suspendedrelation a member 19. This member has an opening above two horizontalslots, and is commonly known as a staple. Its upper edge is bent overand is perforated to engage the flats to allow said screws to enter thearm 1. The staple, too, may be madeby stamp-' in and manufacturing inone piece.

Vhen the casing 2 is applied to a knitting machine, it will always havea larger or smaller number of arms 1 affixed to the flange 3, and spacedequidistantly apart; the arms thus pro'ecting radially outward from thecasing. he spindle or rod 15 on each arm will be operated by a spring orthe like inside the casing 2 to turn the spindle and cause the arm 16 toengage one end of the lever and force it-as far as the stop 17 willpermit; thereby maintaining the lever with its forked end in proximityto the guide 11. In that position one prong of the fork projectsslightly beyond the curved top of the guide; hence the yarn 20 can belaid on this guide and allowed to slip down into the notch of the fork,and then be drawn to the needles as long as the machine continuesrunning. After leaving the fork the yarn passes overa hook 21, fixed tothe rod 15, and downward behind the staple 19 (Fig. 1),

across the parallel slots therein. The casing or support 2 will be ontop of another casing, not shown, but forming the lower part of thestop-motion head; and in this lower casing the devices for actuating themechanism that suspends the operation of the knitting machine will behoused. The two casings will be fixed together and will constitute thehead referred to; and this head is mounted on the central stem of theknitting machine, as above set forth. The devices in the lower casingare controlled by upstanding pivoted arms, located on the outside of thelower casing, adjacent the staples 19, and communicating with the insideof the lower casing. Each arm will have oneor more lateral'fingers, andthere will ofv course. be

one of said arms below each arm 1, and associated with each staple 19.These fingers project through the slots of the staple, but are bent tobe parallel with the opposite side; and the yarn will travel betweenthem and the staple, holding the fingers and the arm carrying same inrequired position as long as the yarn remains intact. If tangled orknotted, however-,the yarn will catch at the fork and make it turn therod 15 in such a direction that the book 21 will permit the yarn to slipout of it; whereupon the yarn will no longer hold the fingers and thearm carrying same will withdraw them from the slots of the staple 19. Tobring about this action, any suitable arrangement may be followed; andas a result, certain devices in which operate in a manner familiar'tothose skilled in this art, form no part of same. The arm can bemanufactured in quantities at low cost; and in case of injury can bereplaced by a new arm at once, without the entire head'requiring to be.sent back from the textile establishment to the factory,

Another advantage afforded by our improved arm is the fact that it ,isstronger than an arm cast integral with the casing 2. It can accordinglybe made somewhat smaller and shorter and thus reduce the over-alldimensions of'the stop-motion head, especially if a large number ofarms, such as twelve or sixteen, are to be carried by it to hold up thelines of yarn on their way to the needles. I

The stop-motion head comprising the upper and lower casing is the partreferred to above for carrying the devices to actuate the stoppingmechanism; and these devices embrace not only what is inside the lowercasing, but what is carried by the upper casing 2, as well.

Obviously one bolt or screw, as shown, or two separate bolts or screws,one for the portion 8 and the other for the'portion 10, can be utilizedto mount the guide 11.

Having described our invention, what we believe to be new and desire tosecure and protect by Letters Patent of the United States is': u

1. The combination with a support for threadcontrolled stop mechanism,of an arm having one end to besecured to the support,

and having its opposite end bent to extend laterally, thenlongitudinally, then transversely, and then reversely to enable thethread guide to be mounted thereon at the points Where the arm is bentlongitudinally and reversely.

The combination With a support for a thread controlled stop mechanismhaving a spindle and a thread finger engaged by the spindle, of an armhaving one end to be secured to the support, and having its opposite endbent laterally, then longitudinally, then transversely, and thenreversely, to enable said finger to be mounted thereon at the pointsWhere the arm is bent longitudinally and reversely, said arm also havingprojections stamped therefrom adjacent said opposite end to serve as abearing for the spindle and to receive a pivot for the finger, and astop on the laterally bent portion of said arm in proximity to saidprojections to arrest the finger.

4. The combination with the casing of a thread-controlled stop mechanismhaving a spindle and a thread finger and comprising a casing having aflange thereon, of an arm having a pair of projections struck therefrom,adjacent one end, and having an opening to receive a fastening memberthrough said end to enable the arm to be secured to the casing With theprojections abutting the edge of said flange, said arm having itsopposite end bent laterally and longitudinally, then transversely, andthen reversely, to enable a thread guide to be secured thereto at thepoints Where the arm is bent longitudinally and reversel-y, said armalso having projections stamped therefrom, one of Which is perforated toform a bearing for the spindle and the other bored out to receive apivot for the finger, and a stop on the laterally bent portion of saidarm in proximity to said last named projections to arrest the finger.

In testimony whereof, We have signed our names to this specificationthis 12th day of February, 1919.

EDW. H. STINES. W. o. POTTER.

